When
by nanjarohoihoi
Summary: Dom realizes three things. Dom/Fran


I wrote this to flesh out Dom's actions in the finale, so this story takes place just before the finale and contains spoilers.

**When**

It had been a particularly crazy dinner rush at JKP, and as he helped RJ and the others clean up the aftermath, Dom realized three things. Two of these things became clear to him when he noticed how natural it felt to be mopping the floor while Casey and Fran wiped the tables and RJ, Theo and Lily cleaned the kitchen.

Dom's first realization was the reason he was still at JKP. When Dom had arrived to visit RJ, he had planned to stay only for a couple of days -- a week at most. It wasn't simply that RJ had given him a morpher. It was that all of them -- RJ, Fran, Casey, Lily and Theo -- had given him the most valuable gift he had ever received: friendship coupled with a sense of belonging.

Dom's second realization was that couldn't remember when he had started thinking of JKP as home.

These epiphanies were still on his mind when he finished with the floor of the restaurant proper and moved on to the floor of the kitchen, where RJ, Theo and Lily were still hard at work, cleaning. He was half done when Fran and Casey came in and sat down on the stairs that led up to the loft. Casey slumped against the wall and closed his eyes, but Fran watched the rest of them scrub the kitchen.

Dom was a little surprised that Casey and Fran were hanging around given that they had opened the pizzeria that morning and that their shift was long over, though he was happy they had stayed. He caught Fran's eye and smiled at her. Flustered, she looked away, and he couldn't help but grin.

He was wondering if their behavior counted as flirting when Lily paused in the middle of washing a pan to ask, "Do any of you ever think about what you'll do after Dai Shi is defeated?"

"If," Theo corrected automatically. "If Dai Shi is defeated."

"When," RJ amended. "A little optimism goes a long way. _When_ Dai Shi is defeated."

"Do you think about it?" Lily asked Theo. She flung soap suds in his direction, and they landed harmlessly on counter. Theo straightened as he considered what she was asking.

The floor momentarily forgotten, Dom leaned against the mop's handle as he waited for Theo's reply. When he glanced around the room, he noticed that everyone seemed curious for his answer, except for Fran, who seemed anxious.

"Teaching, I guess," Theo responded, finally. "I dunno. What about you, Lil?"

"I'm not sure either," she confessed. "That's why I asked."

Without being directly prompted, Casey answered, "I'd like to continue teaching." He shrugged. "But I don't have to wait for Dai Shi's defeat for that."

RJ looked Dom in the eye and Dom anticipated that his old friend would ask him about his plans. Instead, RJ asked, "What about you, Fran?"

This startled Fran as much as it did Dom. She looked back and forth between RJ and her lap as she replied, "I'd like to keep working here. I mean, if that's alright with you." Dom could tell she was more flustered than usual by the way she toyed with the end of her orange apron.

"You're all welcome to remain here," RJ told them, spreading his arms wide and smiling at Fran. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm a tad short staffed."

Fran offered RJ a smile in return and Dom didn't miss the slight blush that appeared on her cheeks.

Dom also noticed that no one had asked RJ about his plans. He expected RJ to remain at JKP, but RJ was someone who never ceased to surprise him. He was about to utter the question when Lily and Theo both agreed that they'd stay at JKP too.

"Someone has to help out with the dinner rush," Lily reasoned.

Theo snorted. "And the lunch rush, the after school rush, and -- my personal favorite -- the middle-of-the-day-for-no-reason rush."

RJ asked, "Casey?"

"Count me in," Casey replied with a grin. "I'm not going anywhere."

Casey's choice of words made Dom think about his two realizations from earlier, so he was caught off-guard when Lily asked, "What are your plans, Dom?"

He had always been a traveler and so he had already devoted some thought to his next destination. His answer was automatic: "I've always wanted to go backpacking through Europe."

Fran abruptly turned to look at him, eyes wide.

Lily must have noticed the tension, because she quickly asked Casey about one of his students. The topic change was awkward, but it gave Dom the opportunity to study Fran's reaction to his words.

Fran bowed her head, effectively hiding her expression, but Dom could tell that she was disappointed and upset. It made him re-think his backpacking idea. Even if it was only a short trip, he didn't want to leave Fran behind. She had come to mean too much to him.

As he considered this, Dom came to his third realization: He cared for Fran so much that he couldn't imagine a day without her.

He decided that when Dai Shi was defeated, he would reconsider traveling to Europe, but only if Fran agreed to join him.

Between now and then, he would do everything in his power to make sure she'd say yes.


End file.
